THW Kiel secured victory in the difficult Group A of the Handball Champions League. The Bundesliga team beat HC Zagreb 33:22 (17:15) on the last matchday on Wednesday evening. The “Zebras” had already made it to the quarter-finals.
It is not yet clear which club the German record champions will face in the round of the last eight (April 24th/May 1st). Possible opponents for coach Filip Jicha’s team are Montpellier, Gudme Oure Gudbjerg Håndbold, Paris Saint-Germain, Kielce, Zagreb or Szeged. These clubs are initially fighting to advance in the round of 16. THW and group runners-up Aalborg skip the round of 16.
“We are very happy that we finished the group phase in first place. That cannot be taken for granted. The Champions League is the biggest competition at club level. Now we are looking forward to what happens next,” said Kiel’s backcourt ace Nikola Bilyk in the NDR interview.
Kiel with a 9-0 run in the opening phase
It was minute nine in the THW’s duel with the Croatian record champions when the pop classic “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode sounded from the speakers in the Ostseehalle. There couldn’t have been a more fitting musical interlude at this point in time. Because the Kiel team simply couldn’t get enough – of scoring goals. After trailing 0-2, they led 5-2. Soon afterwards a 9:2 for the “Zebras” flashed on the scoreboard (11th).
With a 9-0 run, which is very rare in the handball premier class, the Schleswig-Holstein team seemed to have laid the foundation for success early on. Especially since Zagreb had shown a shockingly poor performance so far. The Eastern Europeans made hair-raising mistakes in possession of the ball in the early stages. And with their very offensive 5:1 defense, which was full of holes like the famous Swiss cheese, they literally invited the THW to score goals. Because coach Andrija Nikolic also spared some of the team’s pillars after they had already qualified for the round of 16, everything initially pointed to a Kiel victory.
“Zebras” almost give away their lead
Jicha’s protégés also seemed to have somehow got a hold of the game after around ten minutes. In any case, body tension and concentration rapidly decreased. The North Germans were no longer as determined in their attack as before. And when it came to coverage, they were too passive. The lead temporarily dwindled to one goal (12:11/20th). Jicha was not amused by his team’s drop in performance and found clear words during a time out. “Do you want to shift responsibility away from you now?” asked the Czech and loudly called on his charges: “Men, come now.”
But by the break the “Zebras” could no longer regain the stability of the initial phase. From the home team’s point of view, the best thing about the final phase of the first half was that the encounter didn’t turn over completely. Because this too would have been possible in a wild handball game.
THW Kiel – RK Zagreb 33:22 (17:15)
Goals THW Kiel: Ekberg 9/4, Bilyk 7, Pekeler 3, Weinhold 3, Duvnjak 2, M. Landin 2, Wallinius 2, Ehrig 1, Johansson 1, Reinkind 1, Wiencek 1, Överby 1
HC Zagreb: Cavar 4/1, Dibirow 4/2, Walczak 4, Cupic 2, Glavas 2, Kos 2, Suholeznik 2, Faljic 1, Sirotic 1
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Jicha team in the second half without any problems
After the break, the marmot greeted us at the fjord. As in the first section, the Jicha team quickly moved ahead by seven goals (22:15/39.). Zagreb’s coach Nikolic then pulled the green card again. Once again, the 43-year-old was very displeased with his men’s performance during the break. This time, however, little improved from the guests’ perspective after the game resumed. It wasn’t until twelve minutes into the second half that the Croatians scored their first goal. However, the goal to make it 16:24 from a seven-meter shot by Davor Cavar didn’t really brighten the mood for them.
Unlike in the first half, Zagreb didn’t come close again. Even when Jicha began to make lively substitutions, the Kiel team remained superior and in the end celebrated a sweeping victory that could have been much bigger if the Bundesliga team hadn’t taken a collective time-out in the first 30 minutes. “Before every game, we wish we could play 60 minutes of perfect handball. But life is not a wish concert. And that’s why, I think, we can be happy with an eleven-goal win,” said Bilyk.
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NDR 2 Sport | Mar 6, 2024 | 11:03 p.m
